So frustrated with my new HF 4x6 band saw

[markba633csi]

There should not be a large cyclic noise from the weld joint- That sounds like a poor quality blade to me.
I would say anywhere from 30 sec to 2 minutes would be a reasonable time to cut 2" of 1/8 steel. You want only a couple pounds downfeed pressure
If the blade is actually stopping that could be several things- greasy drive wheels, incorrect pressure, loose blade, lack of oil in gearbox or slipping belt
-M

 

[Maplehead]

There should not be a large cyclic noise from the weld joint- That sounds like a poor quality blade to me.
I would say anywhere from 30 sec to 2 minutes would be a reasonable time to cut 2" of 1/8 steel. You want only a couple pounds downfeed pressure
If the blade is actually stopping that could be several things- greasy drive wheels, incorrect pressure, loose blade, lack of oil in gearbox or slipping belt
-M

The blade is still running though so I'm leaning towards too much tension in the feed spring.
That gear box is at an angle. Can I open the lid as the saw naturally stands without worry of all the oil spilling out? Or do I need to lean the saw until the lid of the gear box is level with the floor? Dumb questions but if the manual just had all of this it would sure be a lot easier.

 

[bakrch]

I read that one last night and again earlier this morning. I haven't doen the wheelmchecks yet, just everything to do with the guide bearings.
A few more questions:
Loosening the feed spring seems to make the cut go faster. How fast should a cut be going through 2" of 1/8" mild steel?
If the cutting stops midway down does that mean the feed spring is too taught and it's holding the machine from advancing further?
My blade is just about square to the fence. The blade looks to be square to the table. If the blade is in fact square to the table and the blade tension is correct then what would be the next factor causing the blade to slope outwards as it cuts down?
Lastly, do all these machines make that cyclic noise per every revolution because of the blades weld joint? Mine is pretty loud.

First, I have to imagine every one of these saws acts radically different from the next as far as how they leave the factory.

The feed spring is probably the most fiddly, and (assuming everything is squared up) when I get cuts like that it tends to be too loose, with too much weight/force in the cut. YMMV.

From what I remember, the factory blade had a fine tooth on mine. Something like 20tpi or so, and it took FOOORREEVVERRRRR to cut even plastic. Now I use the 10-14 tpi bi-metal blade they sell (the $30 one, I forget the name brand it's been so long since I've had to buy one). For example, the stock blade that came with mine would take about 22 minutes to cut through 3"x5" 6061 aluminum. The 10-14 bimetal is about 3-4 minutes in the same cut.

Not sure how you have the guide set, but I would have the tightening knob outside of the slot. With half of the knob tightening on the outside of the casting, and the rest hanging out in the air ... if you will. This will get the guide close as possible and minimize wandering.

Personally, my biggest problem was the lateral movement of the blade. It would run off the top roller and get pinched until I added a few washers to keep it from wandering so much.

If you are getting a heavy tick, inspect for cracks in the blade it may be about to fail.

I used to chew through blades almost weekly due to a wobbly wheel. Ended up re-boring the wheel on a lathe and bushing it back down. Haven't had an issue since.

It is a nightmare to get these things running, but they really are a great buy if you have .... ALLLLLL the time in the world to set it up.

 

[markba633csi]

You may find very little oil in there- but you can put a pan underneath just in case. Be prepared for a little mess, it's part of the fun. Some say the factory uses old crankcase drippings in there. I would not be at all surprised.
As far as the spring tensioner, it's duty is to counteract the weight of the saw so that only a small downforce is applied to the blade. It's a compromise for low cost. One drawback is that it puts a twisting force on the saw pivot and affects the alignment of the saw to the table. Takes some experimentation.
-Mark
PS My saw, which is late 70s vintage, bought as a basket case for 40$, took me over 2 months to get running well. Needed everything- bearings, gearbox overhaul, everything. Runs great now but I enjoyed fixing it up, learned quite a bit

 

[Maplehead]

Holy Moly! So I bought a new blade, some HF "high end" blade. Just made my first cut with it. STRAIGHT!!!
Wow, the stock blade had no cuts on it, but it's that bad right out of the box. I'd have been fighting this for days if I didn't change that stinking blade.
Thanks all for the advice.

 

[Janderso]

Get a good blade, it's worth it.

 

[Maplehead]

Get a good blade, it's worth it.

I guess so. That cyclic noise is gone now too.
It is so awesome for such little money to have this now, and working quite accurately. No more hack sawing. Thank G

 

[Larry$]

That noise you are hearing is likely the lousy weld on the blade. Best thing to do with that blade is circular file it.
I've got a much older version, same basic design. Until I went over it and adjusted everything, did some filing and tensioned the hell out of the blade it didn't work well. It is now a relatively decent saw. The variable pitch blades seem to work better. Ideally about 3 teeth should be in the work but who is going to change blades for different metal thickness? Orient the work so fewer teeth are dragging through it. V up on angle iron. Bar stock trapped at an angle in the vice, you will need a way of holding it down. Use blocks of wood or something to keep the vice faces parallel when cutting short work. I tapped the vice so I can use a bolt to fine tune the block thickness rather than finding a new one for every short piece I'm cutting. Make yourself a quick to attach table for using the saw in the vertical position. You bought a kit, now make it into a saw.

 

[bakrch]

Holy Moly! So I bought a new blade, some HF "high end" blade. Just made my first cut with it. STRAIGHT!!!
Wow, the stock blade had no cuts on it, but it's that bad right out of the box. I'd have been fighting this for days if I didn't change that stinking blade.
Thanks all for the advice.

Yep, I have had very good luck with these blades. Only bad experience was one that was sized incorrectly and wouldn't even tighten, took it right back for exchange with no problems. Have used Lennox as well with similar results.

 

[Maplehead]

That noise you are hearing is likely the lousy weld on the blade. Best thing to do with that blade is circular file it.
I've got a much older version, same basic design. Until I went over it and adjusted everything, did some filing and tensioned the hell out of the blade it didn't work well. It is now a relatively decent saw. The variable pitch blades seem to work better. Ideally about 3 teeth should be in the work but who is going to change blades for different metal thickness? Orient the work so fewer teeth are dragging through it. V up on angle iron. Bar stock trapped at an angle in the vice, you will need a way of holding it down. Use blocks of wood or something to keep the vice faces parallel when cutting short work. I tapped the vice so I can use a bolt to fine tune the block thickness rather than finding a new one for every short piece I'm cutting. Make yourself a quick to attach table for using the saw in the vertical position. You bought a kit, now make it into a saw.

"You bought a kit, now make it into a saw." LOL, made my day.